3-man spin attack vs SA: How this Pakistan move could prove to be masterstroke in 2nd Test

Pakistan field 3 spinners vs SA [Source: AFP Photo]

Pakistan captain Shan Masood won the toss in the second Test vs South Africa and made the right judgment by electing to bat first on a spin-friendly surface. Ever since Pakistan lost against England last year, the management decided to prepare spin-friendly pitches, and it has worked wonders for the Men in Green.

They opted for a similar tactic in the ongoing series against South Africa, and it worked in the Lahore Test match. The second game of the series will also feature a dry pitch with plenty of assistance for the spin bowlers. For the second Test, Pakistan brought in Asif Afridi in place of Hasan Ali, and have fielded three spinners to torment the Proteas. Is this a good move by the hosts?.

More turn in Rawalpindi prompted for a change

"It looks very abrasive. It is going to be a challenge for the batters. The ball should turn and should grip. Batting first is a good choice, you have to put runs on the board because it will deteriorate further. You have to be positive. You have to have a couple of shots, the sweep shot becomes really important, you have to rotate the strike. It is more dry and abrasive, more than what we had in Lahore. This should really help the spinners."

This was the pitch report for the second Test match, and judging by it, the ball will grip more as compared to the Lahore Test.

The wicket for the first Test was still helpful for the batters on Day 1 as Shan Masood and Imam-ul-Haq scored quick-fire runs. However, as the game progressed, South Africa struggled to cope, ultimately losing the match.

This won’t be the case for the second Test as the ball will turn and grip from day 1, and as Ramiz Raja said at the time of pitch report, the game could end inside 3 days. Hence, more firepower was added in the spin-attack to torment the visitors.

Domination of spinners vs South Africa

(Pakistan spin duo vs South Africa)

• Out of the 20 South African wickets that fell in the first Test, Noman Ali, and Sajid Khan accounted for 15 of them. The Proteas batters had no clue as they surrendered in front of some hostile spin bowling by the Pakistani duo.
• Noman Ali is a left-arm orthodox spinner and he wreaked havoc against the visitors in first Test. Asif Afridi is also a left-armer and perhaps, Pakistan are thinking that another left-arm spinner could become the tormentor, and hence, the side has gone in with three genuine spinners in Rawalpindi.

Final verdict

The decision to play three spinners might just turn out to be a masterstroke by Shan Masood as South African batters love pace on the ball, and most of the batters have the tendency to struggle against quality spin. Hence, they have added Asif Afridi, who can also purchase bounce and turn from a dry Rawalpindi surface.

---

ALSO READ

38-year-old spinner set for debut as Pakistan captain Shan Masood elects to bat

---